The performance of semiconductor devices used in electronic circuits often degrades over time due to the effects of high current, voltage, and environmental stresses over the lifetime use of the semiconductor device. This performance degradation is generally referred to as “semiconductor aging,” or simply “aging.” In processor cores, semiconductor aging is manifested as a reduction in processor speed over time, for a given supply voltage. In a multi-core processor, each core may age differently due the actual processing load seen by the individual cores over their respective lifetimes.
Features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the drawings, in which like reference characters identify corresponding elements throughout. In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements. The drawing in which an element first appears is indicated by the leftmost digit(s) in the corresponding reference number.